Sunday, September 13, 2009

Yesterday we had the day off so we went to the Genocide Memorial. I would like to say that it was a relaxing day but not so much. I keep thinking that it will get easier, as this was my third visit to the museum, and it's still tough. It helps put things in perspective but hard to comprehend. Practically every person in Rwanda today has been affected by it one way or another.

In the afternoon we met with two men from an organization called ADAP that creates awareness for youth on drugs. They are very dedicated to creating awareness to a little recognized sleeping giant. According to government records, 69% of the youth of Rwanda are drug users. We got some good insights to some of the problems the Rwandese face.

Last night we had a great thunderstorm before dinner. It poured....hard. Lightening struck very close to us and knocked the power out for a while.

Today we went to Gakenke, 1 1/2 hour drive uphill, to attend a church that has started CR. Pastor Jean Baptiste hosted us at Anglican Church of Rwanda Gakenke. They were having a youth crusade with close to a thousand people attending. The 5 1/2 hour service was awesome with lots of great music and dancing. I gave my testimony and talked about CR which fit right in with their theme of the crusade. The diocese pastor preached the sermon and shared very openly about his own struggles past and present. They have a great vision for the church and they believe that CR will be a big part of it.

We had lunch at Jean Baptiste's home with pastors, denomination leaders, and head of the church's primary school with 600+ children. We got to meet his family too which was a special treat.

We are winding down and preparing to start our long journey home tomorrow. Pray for safe travels, smooth connections and good rest on the plane. Pray for the team that returned to teh US last week as I am sure they are still adjsuting.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Friday Night in Kigali

This morning we met with Arthur who is writing a dissertation on addictions in Rwanda and had heard that we were in town and wanted to meet with us. He shared his story of abandonment and struggle with addiction. It helped us have a better understanding of some lives in Rwanda. He is a very passionate young man with a desire to help the addicted.

In the afternoon we had a meeting at the PEACE office where we debriefed about the meeting yesterday and began making plans for next steps including a CR seminar next year. We agreed on a format for future trainings and have tentative plans of when and where the next training will take place. We will be working out the details over the coming weeks.

It was so encouraging to hear from Jean Baptiste about how he has started CR, the impact it's already making at his church and his great vision for it's growth. God is good.

Tonight we had Italian food at a restaurant called Cactus overlooking the lights of downtown while listening to Christmas carols in some unknown language surrounded by the fragrance of jasmine and the tropics. By the way, it is September and we are in Rwanda. The pizza with bananas was great .... really :-).

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Successful Meeting

The Messners and Skons made it to LAX exactly on time yesterday. Everything in Amsterdam went smoothly and even CJ stayed with the group and did not wander :-). Joe picked them up from the airport and they made it home in an hour....God was very nice and made the traffic very light. Pizza with Heather, Chris and Kelly's mom was yummy and they were very excited to see each other.

Thanks so much for your prayers for our Rwanda meeting today, they worked. We met with 10 key pastors that were all in the CR seminar in January. We spent the day reviewing the CR components and answering questions. They were so thankful of our visit as it helped clarify some things for them. They sent their greetings to the January CR team that was in Gitarama.

One church (Pastor John Baptiste's) has started CR with the Large Group meetings and is preparing to add the Open Share and Step Study groups so our visit was very timely. He completed the 8 week Road to Recovery sermon series before starting the Large Group meetings. Another church has started small group meetings in preparation to launching CR.

The meeting went very well and several of the pastors seemed eager to start CR in their churches. We learned some valuable lessons that will help us in future trainings like using flip charts with diagrams to explain the 3 components of CR and a timeline of the 8 principles showing from "Realize I'm not God" to "Giving back", from hurts to health.

Please pray for the team that returned to the US, that they adjust to the new time zone and get good rest. Pray for the emotional adjustment and reverse culture stress as they experience life in Orange County after 3 weeks in Kenya. Pray for our debrief meeting tomorrow at the PEACE office as we plan next steps to go forward with CR in Rwanda.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

In Rwanda

Paul, Teri and I arrived in Rwanda last night as the rest of the team began their journey back to the US. We ran into a few friends from Saddleback at the Iris Guest House where we are staying. This afternoon we had a very good meeting with Pastor Straton and others at the PEACE office in preparation for tomorrow's meeting with key pastors from the Southern Provence where we did our CR training in January. We had good discussions about CR in Rwanda. It is good to be back in Rwanda.

Please pray for our meeting tomorrow, that we are able to clarify some things as we encourage them to continue moving forward and that we are the "Muppets". Pray for Teri and Paul as Teri's Dad fell and is in a skilled nursing center awaiting their return so he can go home. Pray for peace of mind for all concerned. Pray for the team flying home.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Back in Nairobi ..... for a few hours

After an adventurous departure from Malindi we had a great time in Masai Mara. Our ticketed flight from Malindi to the Mara didn't actually exist. After several hours of sitting around a very tiny airport, they decided to charter a private 11 passenger plane for us since we had paid tickets and their next flight was not until the following day. What an expereince.

We had 2 days of R&R to help process our experiences plus we got some really up close time with some amazing animals. We flew back to Nairobi and had lunch. Now we are relaxing for a few hours before going to the airport. The Messners and Skons begin thier journey home, departing Nairobi at 10 pm then a few hour layover in Amsterdam then non-stop to LAX, getting home tomorrow evening. The Mootes and I depart at 10:15 for Kigali, Rwanda where we will be met by friends in the PEACE office and begin our meetings there tomorrow afternoon.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Malindi

Yesterday (Friday) before we left Mombasa we took a tour of Fort Jesus built in 1593 by the Portuguese to guard the Old Port of Mombasa, we also visited Old Town in Mombasa. It was nice to get to see some of the city. We drove North along the coast for 3 hours to Malindi. We had a chance to walk on the beach and relax. We have been going non-stop since landing here over 2 weeks ago.

Today we went to Malindi prison and got to meet with some of the 67 men in CR. We heard testimonies of several men of how CR is changing their lives. They have a group for drug addicts, which is a huge issue in Malindi and long the coast of Kenya. About 80% of those attending the drug group are Muslim! They heard about the healing that was happening and they wanted to attend. I am looking forward to hearing about when one of them steps across the line to accept Christ.

The senior chaplain and our friend, Pastor Stanley, is well and is doing a great job with CR inside. We had the opportunity to visit his home and see his family again. He had a baby boy since we were here in February, they named him Blessington and his 3 sisters love their baby brother.

This afternoon we explored Malindi and saw the sights then I think we all took long naps. Tomorrow we fly to Masai Mara for a couple of days of R&R and hopefully will see a few animals.

Please pray for safe travels as we go to the Mara. For good rest. For processing the experiences as we begin the transition of leaving Kenya. The Messners & Skons fly home on Tuesday. The Mootes and I fly to Rwanda where we have CR meetings there so we are winding down but also gearing up for the next leg of our trip.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

We completed the seminar today and God's presence was evident. When thinking about where we started on Monday and how today unfolded, it is pretty amazing to see how God is at work here. Bishops talked about how they would start CR in their churches. Small neighboring churches are planning to start joint CR programs. People are taking off their masks and stepping out of denial and looking ahead to establishing their leadership teams as they start this ministry.

We ended the day with nailing our hurts to the cross and taking communion. They were obviously moved by the experience. The singing was lighter, there was more joy and burdens were lifted. It was so moving to hold hands in a circle and burn the papers taken from the cross and watch the relief on peoples faces as their burdens turned to ashes. The wind picked up as they were burning and it was like God was taking them away as the ashes scattered.

The translator from Tanzania was here and we met today to discuss the translation to Kiswahili. They are eager to get the translation complete so we can train people in Tanzania how to start CR.

We are winding now and some people - "CJ", "Mike" and "Paul" - not to mention names, are highly vulnerable to giggles and are a bit out of hand. We may have to leave them in prison in Malindi if they can't get their act together. :-) At least we know people there and CR is going strong.

Please pray for safe travels as we drive to Malindi tomorrow. For the participants as they go forward and start this ministry. That we are able to process the experiences of our trip so far. To not let our guards down and be available to every divine appointment God has for us along the way. For grace as we deal with these goofy guys on our team.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

CR Seminar Update

There are about 70 people attending the CR seminar here in Mombasa (actually Likoni) near the Mombasa port. We were expecting 50 participants and have over 70 and they are so excited to be here that some even have to stay off site and pay extra for accommodations. Bishops, senior pastors, pastors and church leaders are here from Nairobi, Lamu and even Tanzania.

The seminar started on Monday and they were skeptical but open and now are catching the vision of how CR can help and work in their churches. Today was the day that they "got it". It is exciting to watch it unfold. At times we lost focus of what God is doing and had doubts, He just needed to remind us who's in charge. We are just the Muppets, He is the Muppeteer. We just have to show up.

They are enjoying the teachings about CR and how to run the meetings and really liking participating in Step Study groups. They love hearing our testimonies. They have a whole new level of respect for the "youth couple" of Mike and Kelly.

We found out that the CR Africa materials are in the nearby port but have not been released yet. It's hard knowing that we can practically see where they are but can't get our hands on them yet. All in God's timing.

We are all continuing to do well and are healthy. Please pray for our last day of training tomorrow (Thursday) as they learn how to take this ministry back to their churches and train their leaders. Pray for the pastors as they plan to work together to help each other as they start CR in thier respective churches.